Meet the Drug-Resistant Superbug That’s Taking Over the World

Candida Auris is the new superbug on the block you've probably never heard of, and it is invading healthcare systems worldwide.

This stealthy, drug-resistant yeast can already be found in hospitals worldwide, preying on those with weakened immune systems. An often fatal fungus, C. auris is so prolific that the CDC recently added it to its list of urgent threats.

So what exactly is Candida Auris and how did it fly under the radar and emerge as a global health threat?

We sat down with Adrian Zelaznythe Head of the Microbiology Lab at the NIH (National Institute of Health) to discuss all the ins and outs of this stealthy superbug.

Watch to find out more.

#candidaauris #superbug #fungus #healthcare #sick #humanbody #science #seeker
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Read more:
Read more:
Candida auris
"Candida auris is an emerging fungus that presents a serious global health threat."

On the Origins of a Species: What Might Explain the Rise of Candida auris?
"Candida auris is an emerging multidrug-resistant yeast first described in 2009 that has since caused healthcare-associated outbreaks of severe human infections around the world."

A Mysterious Infection, Spanning the Globe in a Climate of Secrecy
"The rise of Candida auris embodies a serious and growing public health threat: drug-resistant germs."
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SICK is a new series that looks at how diseases actually work inside our body. We'll be visiting medical centers and talking to top researchers and doctors to uncover the mysteries of viruses, bacteria, fungi and our own immune system. Come back every Tuesday for a new episode and let us know in the comments which diseases you think we should cover next.
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[David]

Just the anxiety reducing content we all need.

[TheRealGuywithoutaMustache]

"2020 can't get any worse"


Someone say it again please

[llantup]

Can we just restart from the last save, like around October of 2016? Please?

[vornamenachname]

They finally found the fungus in it's natural habitat (or at least some habitat of one strain of candida auris)
It's a swampy beach somewhere in the Indian Ocean. The approximity to the ocean also kind of explains why it is so widely spread and why it can tolerate the saltiness of the surface of our human skin as well as some level of UV exposure. (Other candida species have trouble with both those things and those features might be the reason why it can spread from person to person.)
The most likely scenario is that climate change made it adapt to higher temperatures (different strains at different sides/locations)so that now, it can withstand the human body temperature. That way, it's able to survive inside the human body. But it is likely that there are other factors which might contribute to its virulence as well. One is its resistences which no one knows where those came from.

[fearthehoneybadger]

So, we're going to be done-in by a relative of bread yeast?

[vornamenachname]

One thing that is quite sad but extremely important to note: One reason why candida auris is diagnosed so seldomly is that doctors tend to overlook fungal infections as they are quite hard to diagnose and some doctors will only test people for bacteria or viruses as they simply not think of fungi. There are people who might have candida auris overgrowth but no doctor is treating them as the medical community is quite devided when it comes to whether or not gut colonialization with candida albicans is good, bad or without significant impact. Keep in mind that you cannot take a stool sample and say whether or not somebody's gut is colonized with a certain microbe. There are lots of microbes sitting on your food, passing your body once you ate them (some of them are not capable of coping with your stomach acid, but others like salmonella or candida can.) Often, these microbes will form symbiotic bonds and organize in so called biofilms. They can impact each other. With people having a week immune system, only biopsies could bring clarity and these are seldomly done. First, the patient needs to get a viral infection promoting further growth of fungal pathogens leading to an invasive fungal infection. Then it may or may not be treated. There are people who have been tested positive for fungi in their blood (fungemia) but they had no fever and were completely asymptomatic. So there is yet a lot research to be done.

[Mionwang]

A noval rabies virus that transmits through air is gonna be the real zombie apocalypse.

[karmanshah]

"We're in the Endgame now"
I mean literally

[IngramSnake]

We're going from Contagion to Zombie movie now.

[thebishopsdiagonal]

This yeast is playing the fungus level in plague inc.

[Apollo.XI.]

Wow corona got a jacked cousin brother

[coolcutsgal]

I was actually diagnosed with this AND I was working in the healthcare industry (2011-2019) mine finally got so bad that I went to the doctor with "baboon butt" im STILL; 1 yr out battling this. No alcohol, no sugar, no yeast products of any kind and definitely no flour. Its been a life-changing experience. We thought it was c-diff to begin with until i stumbled upon a wise PA.

[JohnnySummerTime]

Thank you media, you guide us through our fears as we jump from one fear to the next.

[fishsticks]

Earth: Stay Down Final Warning!
Humans: We can do this all day

[Master_Therion]

With everything else going on, this superbug will be the... yeast of our worries.

[nztoddhaskell]

The video description requires correction. When providing a species name, correct nomenclature is written with uppercase for genus & lowercase for the specific epithet (Candida auris, not Candida Auris).

[dylanpouw]

We're already busy enough, Humanity is closed for 2020. Come again in 2021

[hotdrippyglass]

Thank You for bringing this to my attention. There is a recurring infection that is not making sense in my life and this could be an answer. I'll mention it to my Dr. next time I go to see her.

[dragon]

The only thing that I thought was weird is that they said the fungus is new and discovered in 2009 so why is there black and white videos being used?

[pillmuncher]

And Candida Auris be like: Corona? Hold my beer!